Newsela to Add Social-Emotional Learning Collection

An education technology company that provides daily news stories for students will be integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) themes into its curriculum. Newsela produces curated texts from recognizable media brands that cater to student interests and reading capabilities. The service also offers lesson plans and activities to assess progress and encourage group or class discussions.

This fall, according to a blog post, Newsela will offer a new themed collection with a focus on SEL as an add-on to its "pro" edition. "It is flexible, so it can be used along with any existing SEL curriculum; it is relatable and engaging, using the same high-quality content you've come to expect from Newsela; and it seamlessly blends SEL and literacy, so there's no need to choose between SEL and required lessons," explained Matthew Gross, founder and CEO of the company.

As a Newsela webinar on SEL explained, teachers might give students articles that cover relevant topics, such as how to feel confident when going into a test or examples of people making decisions — good and bad — in real-world events to help them cultivate specific skills.

SEL is the name given to the process that people — both kids and adults — undergo as they acquire and use attitudes and skills for understanding and managing their emotions, setting and pursuing productive goals, feeling and showing empathy for others, maintaining healthy relationships and making wise decisions. These touch on many of the soft skills students are encouraged to acquire as part of 21st century learning.

While the reading service is free to students, the paid version provides teacher tools, including a dashboard for managing assignments, access to an annotation tool and other features for customizing the program, as well as integration with popular K-12 learning management systems. This version also includes professional learning support to help educators implement and manage Newsela use in the classroom.

Currently, the service is taking contact information for educators interested in learning more.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Abstract AI circuit board pattern

    Nonprofit LawZero to Work Toward Safer, Truthful AI

    Turing Award-winning AI researcher Yoshua Bengio has launched LawZero, a nonprofit aimed at developing AI systems that prioritize safety and truthfulness over autonomy.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A recent report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • tutor and student working together at a laptop

    You've Paid for Tutoring. Here's How to Make Sure It Works.

    As districts and states nationwide invest in tutoring, it remains one of the best tools in our educational toolkit, yielding positive impacts on student learning at scale. But to maximize return on investment, both financially and academically, we must focus on improving implementation.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.